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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28325040">In Love, In Secret</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_definitely_hermione_granger/pseuds/im_definitely_hermione_granger'>im_definitely_hermione_granger</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Red White &amp; Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Affection, Fluff, I guess mentions of angst if you squint?, I love her and it shows, I'm sorry i don't know how tags work, M/M, They just love one another a lot, brief mention of alcohol, june pov</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:28:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,158</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28325040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_definitely_hermione_granger/pseuds/im_definitely_hermione_granger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>5 times Alex and Henry secretly show affection, and 1 time they can show the world</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Firstprince Secret Snowflake Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In Love, In Secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=eckelbamf1767">eckelbamf1767</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I hope that you're having a happy, safe, and not too lonely holiday season, and that you enjoy this fic! &lt;3</p><p>Alex's dialogue, along with a couple of events and other lines, are taken from RWRB.</p><p>(PS - American spellings are an atrocity)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <ol>

</ol><p>June sighs.  The First Family had arrived at this banquet less than 20 minutes ago, and Alex and Henry are already making cow eyes at one another and holding eye contact from opposite ends of the table more often than is probably acceptable.  She gets it — they haven’t been able to see one another since the Berlin gala, so going on a month.  Still, would it kill them to be a <em> little </em> more subtle?  </p><p> </p><p>When June glances across the table, she can tell that Nora is also watching the boys, but with more amusement.  June is just stressed.  She’s happy for her little brother, she genuinely is.  He deserves to have fun and to have someone care about him.  However, her inner journalist won’t stop eyeing the palpable tension between Alex and Henry, and she’s fully aware how obvious their eye contact marathon is.  At this rate, the public is going to catch on very quickly.</p><p> </p><p>June is about to turn and glare at Alex, hoping that she can get that message across in a sisterly glare, when she sees the corner of his mouth quirk up in her peripheral vision.  At the far end of the table, color rises in Henry’s cheeks and he looks away quickly.</p><p> </p><p>Nora unsuccessfully tries to stifle her giggle in a napkin.  Based on the words Nora mouths in between biting her lip to contain her laughter when June looks over at her, she figures out that her little brother had <em> winked </em> at Henry.  In a room full of important government officials from all around the world.  <em> Great. </em>  They’re in for a very long night.</p><p> </p><p>2.</p><p>The sound of her brother’s voice stirs June from her sleep.  When she glances at the clock near her bed, it’s 4 fucking o’clock in the morning.  Not that this was a rare occurrence, but for the love of God, would Alex ever finish his papers at a reasonable time of day?  She climbs out of bed and pads down the hall in her slippers, prepared to take away Alex’s textbooks and laptop and force him to go to bed for the countless time.</p><p> </p><p>When she nears his door, though, she realizes that he’s talking to someone else.  After eavesdropping for a few seconds, she works out who it is.  Henry.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s the goal!  So what are y’all going to do today?”</p><p> </p><p>Alex sounds relaxed, which is rare for this time of night.  After a few more seconds, he laughs gently.</p><p> </p><p>June smiles.  Normally nights like this end with her confiscating Alex’s school supplies, but tonight, it sounds like Henry is the one calming him down.  Now, if only he can force Alex to take better care of himself and his sleep schedule.</p><p> </p><p>She knows from her earlier conversation with her little brother that they “don’t really talk like that,” but she can tell how happy these conversations make Alex.  Henry seems to bring him into the present and force him to take a breath like no one else in June’s recent memory.  She knows, from texting Bea, that Henry is aware of this and sometimes takes time that he doesn’t have out of his day so he can call Alex.  On one memorable occasion, he stepped out of a meeting, insisting he just needed a bathroom break, but didn’t come back for 40 minutes.  In turn, Alex’s face lights up whenever his phone buzzes, and since his conversation with June, she has caught him rereading his texts with Henry on at least 2 separate occasions.  </p><p> </p><p>She can only hope that this relationship, or whatever they’re calling it, will last.</p><p> </p><p>3.</p><p>It’s only 11 at night, but June is already, embarrassingly, drunk.  Very drunk.  She’s supposed to be the responsible and level headed one, and yet here she is at a karaoke bar in West Hollywood, leaning drunkenly on Nora while her dress sticks to the booth seat.  It’s probably covered in dried beer and sweat.  Gross.</p><p> </p><p>She feels like she deserves a night off, though.  The past month has been stressful, with Alex and Henry being less than subtle, along with work, the looming election, and a growing suspicion that she might enjoy Pez’s company more than she previously thought.  Tonight, though, is her break.  She’ll just push all of that to the back of her head for the next few hours and allow herself to be a normal woman in her early twenties for once.</p><p> </p><p>Okay, scratch that — apparently her little brother refuses to let her forget.  June watches Henry’s eyes widen visibly, before making a very thinly-veiled excuse to head to the bathroom.  She rolls her eyes as Alex peels out of the booth after him, barely avoiding hitting Cash with his shoulder.  The idiots.</p><p> </p><p>Through her drunken haze, June notices how <em> happy </em> Alex seems.  He’s always had a fire under his ass, and will work til he drops, prioritizing work over everything else.  But with Henry, he seems… different.  Equally passionate, equally smart, but lighter, somehow.  He lets himself take a breath and enjoy being surrounded by the people he loves and who love him.  It’s refreshing to see, and reassures June in a way she can’t quite parse together through the many rounds of shots.</p><p> </p><p>Oh well, she can deal with her little brother’s relationship in the morning — wasn’t tonight supposed to be her night off, for herself?</p><p> </p><p>4.</p><p>This day feels like something out of a nightmare.  Or a horror movie.  Honestly, the movie would be preferable because June could be distracted by popcorn and Nora’s knee touching her own.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, this is all painfully real.  After years of trusting and supporting Luna, he’s turned out to be a fucking sellout.  This close to a pivotal election too!  That could fucking hinge on some bullshit like this!  </p><p> </p><p>The heartbreak in Alex’s eyes isn’t doing anything to soothe her nerves.  He had campaigned for Luna since day one, <em> idolized </em> him, and then this.  Luna switched sides like the hours he and Alex had spent researching, and drafting policies, and calling representatives so that kids could eat free lunch meant nothing!  June is perfectly aware that it runs much deeper than that, but right now she just wants to protect Alex from whatever must be running through his own head.  Oh, and to sleep for the next year.</p><p> </p><p>Her phone buzzes with a text.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Henry FMW</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Hi June.  I just saw the news about Senator Luna — I’m so sorry.  How is your family doing?  Is Alex with you? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>June</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Yeah, we’re all at the Beekman hotel for the DNC.  Terrible timing for a political event.  We’re… holding in there, but this is bad news for the election. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And for Alex. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Henry FMW</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I send my condolences to you all.  It’s so out of the blue, and a very distressing situation.  Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, or for Alex. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>June smiles.  Of course Alex is having an illicit international affair with a man who’s not only the Prince of Wales, but also the most considerate and thoughtful guy ever.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Henry FMW</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Speaking of which, this is a bit of an odd request, but are you with Alex right now?  Could you possibly send him downstairs to the bar? </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>June</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Henry, I know this day has been stressful, but as his older sister, I don’t think I should be encouraging him to drink away his feelings. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Henry FMW</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> No no, of course not.  I… may or may not be here to see him. </em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>June</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> I shouldn’t even be surprised at this point.  He’ll be down soon. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>June exits her conversation with Henry and shoots a message off to Cash, asking him to take Alex downstairs after she’s sent him out of her hotel room.  She smiles to herself.  Henry must’ve stayed behind in New York when Pez flew home, just to see and comfort Alex after the news broke.  Her little brother is so fucking lucky.  Hopefully Henry can reassure him and take care of him while she calls Nora and finally tries to fall asleep after these hellish few hours.</p><p> </p><p>5.</p><p>June’s heart breaks the moment she sees Henry.  His face is pale, his eyes are puffy, and he looks exhausted — very similar to Alex, who June left in the car for her photographed lunch with the prince.</p><p> </p><p>This is awful.  This is harrowingly, heart-wrenchingly, awful.  Even when Henry ghosted Alex, it never got this bad.  During that period they had the hope that the two of them would come back together, but now, the future looks desolate.  Just secret rendez-vous, fake dates with their friends to satisfy the press, and longing emails travelling across the vast ocean.  June knows that she’s protecting her little brother, but she can’t help but feel that this is all her fault.  If she hadn’t posted that stupid picture, maybe Alex and Henry would be a little less broken.</p><p> </p><p>She and Henry do their best to make small talk.  Their laughs probably look genuine to the cameras, but it’s very clear to her that Henry hates every moment.  It’s not that he and June don’t get along — in fact, they hit it off right away.  But she can tell that he hates being in front of the cameras, and he hates how vulnerable he feels, and he hates how they have to lie through their teeth.</p><p> </p><p>June does her best to be steady and smile reassuringly throughout their ‘date’, and after finishing their tea she and Henry rush to pack up and follow their collective security out the door and towards the alley where Alex is parked.</p><p> </p><p>Her little brother cracks the door open, and immediately, she sees the tension lessen in his shoulders as he reaches for his boyfriend.  Henry still looks on the verge of tears, but at least he’s breathing more deeply now that Alex is within reach.  The prince’s frown eases the tiniest bit, and he nearly throws himself into the car.</p><p> </p><p>The last thing June sees as the door shuts heavily is their hands grasping, and Alex pulling Henry towards him.  She smiles.  She’s so proud of Henry and of her little brother for making it this far, and she’s so glad they have each other.</p><p> </p><p>+ 1.</p><p>June throws her head back, laughing gleefully.  Alex and Nora have been playing a fierce game of Uno for 20 minutes now, while she and Henry cheer them on and make fun of their age-old competitiveness.  They’re all most likely too invested in the results.</p><p> </p><p>Christmas Day at the White House is wonderful this year.  They won the election, Alex and Henry were out and (overall) very well-received by the public, and Raf was back on their side.  For once, there was nothing looming over the First Family’s heads, minus, of course, the responsibility of running a country.  Same old, same old, June supposes.</p><p> </p><p>Though Christmases in D.C. are much shinier and on a very grandiose scale, they always manage to draw in the cozy feelings and wrapping paper chaos of Christmases back home in Texas.  This year, especially, now that Henry has been adopted as part of their messy family, Christmas is full of laughter and games and an overarching atmosphere of warmth and love.  Alex and Henry are being couple-y and gross, and Nora and June opened presents earlier in the day while cuddling together under a throw blanket.  Even June’s parents seem to be managing to avoid fights, and Leo is making sure that everyone gets their share of hot chocolate.</p><p> </p><p>June glances over at the couch, and she sees Alex and Henry sitting together, their hands wrapped around steaming mugs.  Her little brother’s legs are over his boyfriend’s lap, and their heads are together while they whisper privately.</p><p> </p><p>She leans over and grabs her phone from the coffee table, and snaps a photo of the two of them.  When she switches to her camera roll and zooms in on their faces, she sees that she's captured a moment when they’re both smiling adoringly, and the Christmas tree lights are reflected in Henry’s eyes as he looks over at Alex.</p><p> </p><p>Perfect.</p><p> </p><p>After dinner that night, Alex asks her to text him the photo of him and Henry on the couch.  Apparently, June wasn’t as surreptitious as she thought.</p><p> </p><p>Though many moments throughout Alex and Henry’s relationship have been made <em> very </em> public, they’ve recently been keeping to themselves as much as possible for their own well-being.  It’s not that they don’t want the world to know that they love one another, but the internet and fans were getting to be a lot in the first month after they were outed.</p><p> </p><p>Henry agrees that this photo is “too adorable to pass up,” though, and Alex posts the picture to Instagram with the caption “@PrinceHenry I love you &lt;3.  Happy holidays, everyone!”  </p><p> </p><p>Predictably, he has to turn off his phone to avoid the immediate onslaught of notifications.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This fic was part of the RWRB Snowflake Exchange, which was run through the <a href="https://discord.gg/JwardtVJRV">Discord server</a>.  If anyone is interested in joining, it's one of my absolute favourite fandom spaces and we would love to have you!</p><p>This is my first published writing in quite some time, so any feedback is welcome.  Happy holidays, everyone!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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